In-Browser Echo Suppression for Scalable Virtual Meetings

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing virtual meeting platforms face limitations in scalability and audio quality due to peer-to-peer network architectures, requiring hardware and software installations, and struggle with echo suppression on the client-side, limiting user interaction and flexibility.

Innovation Solution

A hardware agnostic, in-browser echo suppression system that processes audio on the client-side before transmission to the server, using a client-server distributed architecture to suppress echoes and reduce noise levels, allowing multiple users to communicate without disrupting the main meeting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If peer-to-peer network architecture is used for virtual meeting platforms, then user interaction and flexibility are improved, but scalability and audio quality deteriorate due to network complexity and lack of centralized echo suppression

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser interactionVSAvoidaudio quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a server as an intermediary component in the client-server architecture that centrally manages audio processing and echo suppression. The server receives audio streams from multiple clients, performs noise suppression and echo cancellation processing, and redistributes the processed audio to other clients. This intermediary approach maintains user interaction flexibility while ensuring consistent audio quality through centralized processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system segments audio processing functions between client devices and server infrastructure. Clients handle audio capture and initial processing, while the server performs centralized noise suppression and echo cancellation. This segmentation allows distributed user interaction while concentrating complex audio processing at the server level to ensure reliability and quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If client-side echo suppression is implemented in web browsers, then audio quality is improved, but device compatibility and ease of deployment worsen due to browser limitations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaudio qualityVSAvoiddevice compatibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements echo suppression and noise cancellation algorithms that run within web browsers using standardized JavaScript APIs. This universal approach allows the same audio processing code to execute across different browsers and device types without requiring native application installation or device-specific optimizations, thereby achieving both audio quality improvement and broad device compatibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces traditional mechanical audio processing approaches (requiring native software installation and device-specific hardware optimization) with software-based algorithms running in the browser environment. This substitution uses web standards and JavaScript to achieve audio processing functionality that is both high-quality and universally compatible across different devices and browsers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If in-browser audio processing is used, then scalability is improved, but computational resources on client devices worsen due to processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovescalabilityVSAvoidclient device processing

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary audio processing at the client device before transmitting audio streams to the server. This preliminary action includes basic noise suppression and echo cancellation that reduces the computational burden on both client and server, enabling scalable deployment while managing client device resources efficiently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic audio processing where the level of client-side processing adapts based on device capabilities and network conditions. The system adjusts processing intensity and algorithm complexity to optimize the balance between scalability and client device resource consumption, allowing the system to scale while managing computational resources dynamically.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12579964B2Acoustic echo suppression and cancellation for web-based virtual meeting platform

Publication Date: 2026.03.17 ALLEN AMBER

AI summary

A web-based virtual meeting platform with echo suppression functionality that is hardware agnostic. The platform is configured in a client-server distributed architecture, wherein a plurality of user devices are connected to a server. A baseline for audio generated by a user device on the client-side of the client-server platform is established. Upon detection of a deviation from the baseline, including electro acoustic feedback and ambient noise, suppressive gain is applied to the audio input at the client-side of the client-server architecture. The suppressed audio stream is then transmitted to a cloud server and distributed to a plurality of user devices connected to the cloud service. The platform is accessible via an internet browser and is non-discriminatory as to the hardware of the device used to access the platform. Further, the platform does not distribute data in a peer-to-peer architecture.